Rocket shorts
by Princess Esther of Hyrule 2
Summary: A bunch of short stories that have to do with my upcoming fanfiction Sinful Rose, Crimson King. Mostly having to do with Giovanni, but other characters will appear. Please R&R! Update: 3 new stories added!
1. Beginnings

_64. Beginning_

_Okay, this is my first post here since my old penname Princess Esther of Hyrule went byebye (can't recover my password, so be a little kind, please._

_As I am using these prompts to help me flesh out a fanfic I am writing, They may be a little long. Just to warn you._

_I figured starting with the Beginning prompt would be helpful, and fun. My continuity will almost always be the show, but I'll be throwing in tidbits from the manga every now in then. Sorry, folks, Silver may not be making an appearance, despite his badassery._

_Speaking of which, this particular prompt is rated G, and takes place shortly after the Persian story in How I Became a Pok__émon Card. Yeah, I consider that canon to the anime. Hush. :P_

"Alright, children, I've graded your language arts tests, and I'm a little surprised with the results. I'd like to see some of you study a bit harder, and ask more questions in class so I can be sure you understand." Ms. Underwood said, placing each child's test facedown on their desks. As she passed one young boy's desk, she seemed to emphasize 'asking questions' as she set it on the false wood top. 7-year-old Iian Giovanni Rocket frowned a little as she did, gently pulling up a corner of the paper and peeking a little. He saw a bit of red marker, and grimaced._This can't be good. _As the children checked their papers, there seemed to be many with similar thoughts as there were many audible sighs. He saw the girl next to him smile a little, and he saw the coveted green mark, meaning a high score. He looked down at his own as he flipped, frowning. _Not good at all. Mother's not going to be happy._ He thought forlornly, staring at the big 75 in red on the top. His mother would have a conniption. It wasn't fault he stunk at Language arts. He tried to memorize the stuff, but he always came up blank on the tests and quizzes. Why couldn't it be like math, which he got without trying? Or music, which was helped by his father teaching him to play the piano?

"I'd like to congratulate our newest student, Seren, for making such a high score, despite just having transferred over from Celadon. After class, you may come pick something out of the prize box."

The little girl blushed, and feeling all the eyes on her, hid her face behind long black bangs. _So that's the new girl's name_, Giovanni thought. He had been out sick a couple of days prior, but had noticed her when she had been assigned the desk next to his the day he had returned. He had meant to say hello, but he had always been a bit shy. Something about those pretty violet eyes made him afraid he'd act like an idiot, though he couldn't understand why. She was very quiet, always looking like she wanted to hide behind something, preferring to sit by herself at lunch, usually reading a book, which she seemed to do during recess as well. He also noticed her lack of size. He didn't think she was much younger than him, maybe only by a couple of months, by her apparent intellect, but her height made her look like she should have been in kindergarten instead of first grade.

"Thank you, ma'am," she replied back meekly, hurriedly folding up her paper and stuffing it in her desk, as if she was ashamed of doing so well. _Maybe she can help me with my LA work_, he wondered to himself, when the bell rang.

"Alright children, you have some free time before lunch, so you may talk quietly among yourselves until its time to go." With that, Ms. Underwood sat down at her desk and started grading some more work.

As the children gathered into their little groups of friends and talked, he sighed. He didn't really have many friends here. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in trying to make friends, he just got along better with older children than those his own age. When he had tried to make friends, they usually ignored him, and he was somewhat used to it. _Well, what's the worse she can do, refuse to talk to me?_

_Or laugh at me. Gah…_ Forcing his heart out of his throat, he turned to her and quietly said, "Um, excuse me?"

The girl looked up, as if she was surprised anyone was talking to her, "Yes?"

He smiled, relieved that she wasn't giving the look he had gotten from some of the other children of 'Why are you talking to me?' "Uh, I didn't realize you were the new student. My name's Giovanni. Welcome to Ms. Underwood's class."

He extended his hand, and she stared at it as if it might bite her before gingerly shaking it. "My name's Seren. Though I guess you heard from her announcing it a minute ago." She seemed embarrassed about it.

"Yeah, um, what did you make, by the way, if you don't mind me asking?" She pulled out the paper and handed it to him, and he carefully unfolded it, trying not to show his surprise at the green 100 scribbled across the top, a little smiley face drawn next to it. "wow, that's good. I wish I was good at Language arts like that," he rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "I kind of stink at it." The teacher called for the children to line up, and he quickly asked, "You want to sit by me during lunch?"

Seren looked worried, and gently shook her head, "I'm sorry, I'm…trying to finish a book before the library wants it back," she pulled out a trade paperback by the name ofThe Hobbit, and his eyes widened at the thickness of it. "I really want to read the next book, but they won't let me because they think it's too old for me."

Giovanni inwardly sighed. At least he had tried, "well, okay. Maybe when you're done we can sit together and maybe you can help me with my LA? If you need help in anything else, I'd be more than happy to return the favor."

For once, she seemed to smile a little, "Maybe so, Giovanni. Thank you for inviting me, though." She quietly got up from her seat to get in line before she got in trouble, and he sighed, beating his head against the door as he passed it. _Good job, Iian. You could tell she was uncomfortable about the test, but you just had to go and ask. Mary, mother of God, help me in my stupidity._

The cafeteria was packed with children, each one talking over every other one until it became a cacophony that threatened to give Giovanni a headache. That was, if figuring out what half the food was didn't. Judging by the meat in most of it, he was willing to bet the lunch ladies had gotten a large delivery of cheap pork in, which didn't help him in the least, as he was rather allergic to it. In the end, he settled for the old stand-by of a peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich, and biting into it, he made a mental note to see if they had strawberry jelly next time. _You'd think a school such as this would have more to offer than a bunch of pork and PB&J…_5 Pokebucks said that the money was going towards teachers' salaries, or 'padding the principal's pocket', as his mother had surmised. _Beggars can't be choosers,_ He munched away thoughtfully as he listened to some girls talking a few seats down. The girls were laughing over something, and he overheard a blonde girl named Karen, the leader of the group, say, "Have you seen that new girl? What was her name?"

"Something ridiculous like Serene or some such nonsense." Beth, the other blonde of the group answered back.

"Whatever. Have you ever seen someone so little in your life? How'd she get into first grade? She can't be even 7 years old."

"Maybe she's an extra smart midget," Destiny giggled, putting her hair in her face, "Look at me, I'm a tiny little smart ass who's too good to talk to any of the other kids." She joked, and the other girls laughed loudly.

"Oh, but she talked to that weirdo, Giovanni."

"You mean no eyebrows kid?"

"Yeah, him. I guess that's the best she'll get." Karen pointed at Seren, who was sitting at the next table over, and Giovanni noticed misting eyes trying desperately to hide behind her book as she too munched on her peanut butter sandwich, "I heard she's one of those special kids, ya' know, that gets really sick all the time. Maybe that's why they transferred her. They figured they couldn't burden such a illustrious school as those in Celadon with someone like that."

"What, so sending her out here to Viridian is any better? Why do we want her?"

"Maybe her scores will beef up the class average?" Destiny wondered, "I can't think of a better reason than that." She screamed as cold, white liquid splashed onto her head, and she turned to see Giovanni behind her, carrying a tray of his trash, "Watch out, you little worm! You just messed up my hair!"

"Terribly sorry," He replied coldly, "Must have slipped." He walked off to toss his trash, _what a waste of perfectly good milk on such a person as Destiny. Should have waited until I could've gotten Karen._ He sensed Seren's eyes on him, and as he looked at her, she quickly plunged back into her book. She tried to resume reading, when he walked up to her, and took her empty tray for her. She looked up, and he gave her a small, private smile as he walked away. Her face went red, and she sighed, wondering how long it would be until she faced retribution for it.

Not very long, it turned out, as they went out to play for recess. She sat in her normal spot, a small stone bench near the jungle gym, when her book was knocked from her hands by a bright blue ball. She looked up, and one of the girls from lunch stared down at her, "So sorry, must have gotten away from me." Seren said nothing, quietly handing back the ball and retrieving her book from the wood chips. She returned back to her seat, and a few moments later, she was knocked to the ground, much harder this time. The blue ball rolled away and rested underneath the foot of Karen, her blonde hair glistening in the bright sunshine. "Apparently you didn't get the hint. This is our spot, little one. We play ball here," she grinned.

Seren sighed, giving her a look, "whatever would you play ball in this area for?"

Karen frowned, "Bench ball, of course. Now move along."

Seren picked up her glasses, and carefully wiped them off on her blue uniform skirt, "I believe I was here first, so could you please play it at that bench over there?" She pointed at an identical bench not 10 feet away.

Karen's black eyes burned, as she picked up a fairly sharp looking rock, and began tossing it in the air, "And I believe I wasn't suggesting your moving, was I, girls?" The girls obediently nodded.

Seren's own violet eyes flashed, "And I wasn't going to, either way. Now, please leave me alone." She defiantly sat back down on the bench. She knew what was coming, and she knew that, just like Celadon Elementary, the wealthier the parents, the more the child got away with. She was here because her parents had worked hard to let her go to the best education they could give her, and she didn't want to give them trouble with her fighting back, even if she was justified in it. That had happened at the last place.

Karen sniffed, "fine. I guess I'll just have to force you to move." The girls each picked up some rocks, and Seren closed her eyes tight as they started to throw them, anticipating what had happened before. But none hit her. She opened her eyes and found herself behind a male student with layered brown hair, who was rubbing his arm.

"Leave her alone, Karen," the boy said, brushing the dust from his jacket from the rocks.

The girls frowned, and Karen glowered at him, "why should I?"

"She hasn't done anything towards you. Go play your silly little game elsewhere and let her read in peace."

"Why shouldn't we just do the same…" Karen stopped as Destiny whispered something in her ear, "Hmph, you little kids aren't even worth it." She revised herself, turning with her companions and walking off.

"Funny, I was going to say the same!" Giovanni yelled after them, and Destiny and Beth found themselves holding back Karen as she furiously tried to slap him for the gutsy remark. They dragged her away, and he sighed, tuning and kneeling beside her, "Are you okay?"

Seren stared at him, wide eyed, "Um…yes. I think so…" She touched the back of her head, and winced.

"They got you pretty hard, didn't they? I'm sorry. I couldn't see what was going on until later on because of the 4th graders running around." As he held out his hand to help her up, she saw several cuts from the rocks, and as she looked worriedly at them, he chuckled, "Don't worry. My Persian's given me worse. How about I take you to the school nurse? That looked like it hurt."

Getting up, she placed her book in her pocket, and gave him a sweet smile, "Okay, but only if you let them look at those cuts. I…I don't want you getting into trouble on my behalf."

"Hm? Meh, worse has happened to me." He found his face turning a little red at the smile. "Want me to tell you how I got this?" He pointed at the scar on his left hand, and she nodded as they walked inside to the nurse's office, "Well, I was playin' in the forest…" By the time she was sitting on the table in the nurse's office getting the bump checked, he had told her about the Pokémon collection agency trying to take the Persian away, and how they had worked together to save it. "And when I turn 10, I'm gonna use him to help me with my journey…or Tech. Whichever I end up going to."

Seren smiled as she held the ice pack to her head, "That's neat. I've got a Spearow that I feed every day, but he's wild. I'm afraid it's not as neat as rescuing a Persian." She pulled the ice pack off for a moment, as the cold was hurting more than the injury was. "By the way, thank you."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for helping me, both on the playground and at lunch. No one's ever done something like that for me."

Giovanni raised a non-existent eyebrow, "No one?"

She shook her head, "No. I don't make friends very easily…I think you're the first person who's been nice to me, besides the teachers; but that's their jobs, so it doesn't count." She bit her lip, "I…don't suppose that invitation for lunch is still open, is it? Maybe I can help you with your Language Arts, too." She smiled sheepishly, "truth be told, I could use some help on my math," she quickly added, "That is, if you want to! I'll be perfectly fine if you're not!" She waved her hands quickly in front of herself.

"It's still open, and I'd be more then happy to…just one thing."

She frowned. Here came the condition, like always, "Yes?"

He grinned, "If I can be your friend, Seren, I'd be happy to help you with Math."

She blinked, and then gave him the first genuinely happy smile she had given anyone in a long time, "I'd be…happy to."

Giovanni squeezed her hand, "Cool! Now, is there anything you'd like to be called? Just Seren, or a variant of it?"

"Hmm…" she replied thoughtfully, "Seren should be okay…or maybe my middle name, Esther? Anything I should call you?"

Her new friend shrugged, "Both of those are pretty. Giovanni's fine, I guess. Never thought about it, really."

"Um, is Vanni okay instead? Giovanni's kind of hard for me to pronounce…"

He beamed, "Hey, never thought of that one. I like it." The bell rang, "do you need to stay here for a little longer?"

She shook her head slowly, "No, I'm feeling a bit better," he noticed her voice had become a more normal tone instead of a whisper, and he helped her down. As they walked back to their classroom, he held her hand tight unconsciously, though she noticed it, and she smiled again. Maybe Viridian Private School wouldn't be so bad after all.

_ At least I have a friend now_, they thought in unison, and though they didn't know it, it would be a friendship that would last longer than either of them could ever anticipate.

"So what did you do to get her twerked off at you?" He asked.  
"Promise you won't laugh at me?" He nodded, and she continued, "I'm...somewhat clumsy. Couple of days ago, I might have accidentally spilled quick drying glue in Karen's seat..."


	2. Illness

61. Illness

Characters: Lil' Giovanni, Lil' Seren, Alden Rochat, Gavriel and Dvorah Awres (Seren's parents), Satoshi-Sensei (OC)  
Rating: G...well, PG if you count Giovanni cursing in Italian...

61. Illness  
Second in the Childhood series  
Dictionary:  
_Ema/Emi_- Mother, Mommy (E-mah, E-me)  
_Pareve_- neither meat nor dairy, so "pareve chocolate" would be non-dairy chocolate  
_Yerushalayim_- The native name for Jerusalem  
_fiore selvatico- _Italian, "Wild flower"

_Tovil oti latov  
garesh et kol hapachad  
tar'eh li she'efshar lihyot me'ushar  
ten li lehar'gish  
kol od anachnu yachad  
sheha'olam kulo bishvilanu nolad_*

_"Hey, Dad."_

"Hello, son. How was school?"

"Okay, I guess. Um, is it okay if I bring a friend over?"

"Hm? Sure, if it's okay with their parents."

"Yeah, Mrs. Awres said it was okay."

"Alright, then it's fine."

"Er, don't I need to ask Mother too?"

"Nah, she'll be fine with it, as long as you do your homework with no trouble."

"Yes, sir."

"Good boy. Do you need me to pick you up, or is one of the chauffeurs doing it?"

"Mrs. Awres said she can, so Ser can pick up some play clothes first."

"That works. Make sure to call if you get lost and need help getting from there to home. Now, I need to go. A trainer just came in wanting a match. Love ya, Iian."

"You too, Father. Beat 'em good!"  
  
When Alden Moretti-Rochat had hung up the phone, he was happy to know his son had found someone to play with. The boy tended towards his mother's personality, in that while he wasn't exactly anti-social, he was introverted more than was probably healthy for his age. But from what he could tell, Giovanni actually did want a friend to play with, someone other than Alden to roughhouse with, and Alden was perfectly fine with this. So imagine Alden's surprise when this "Ser" that Giovanni brought home turned out to instead be a very fragile looking, quiet girl, who hid behind the taller boy. "Hey, Dad!" His son chirped.

Alden resisted raising an eyebrow as he returned the greeting, making sure to be as hospitable as possible. Smiling, he held out his hand to the little one, "Well, hello, miss. Are you my son's new friend?" She nodded, peeking out from behind 'Vanni', as she called her friend.

"Ser, he's not going to bite." Giovanni took her backpack away, and grabbed her hand, placing it in his father's. "Dad, this is Seren, my friend from school. Ser, this is my father."

"H-hello, Mr. Moretti-Rochat." Seren said quietly, looking up at his friendly blue eyes, then quickly looking down.

Alden smiled, and gently tilted her chin up to have their eyes meet again, "Just Mr. Rochat will do. You have very pretty violet eyes, little one. You should look up more often so people can see how pretty they are." His voice was smooth with a light French lilt, but with a hint of his Italian mother.

She blushed such a bright color that neither of the males could help but think of a Charizard's flame, "T-thank you, sir. I shall try."

Giovanni grinned. His father was an incredibly charming man, and knew how to use that charm to get people to do something, including something as _seemingly_ simple as making a little girl a bit more confident… well, that remained to be seen, but he bet it would work. In any event, it seemed to get his mother to calm down, a miracle with as worked up as she got.

"Ah, where are my manners? Come in, Ms. Seren. Van, why don't you take your backpacks to the living room. Oh, and the cat's been yelping for you, I think he's hungry or something. Silly spoiled Persian, and it's been here barely a year." Giovanni nodded obediently, hauling the heavy bags off. "If you don't mind me asking, Ms. Seren," Alden started as he escorted her to the kitchen, "would you be the same Ser that's been helping my son with his language homework?"

"Um, yes, sir. It's a little difficult, since Hebrew and Japanese are a little alike with sentence structure, but other than that, they aren't very much alike…" She remembered what he had said about her eyes and pushed the long black bangs that she normally hid behind away from her face, tucking them behind her ears. "But…He's been helping me with my math, as well."

A raised eyebrow, "Hebrew?"

She nodded, "Yes, sir, I'm Jewish. I just moved back here about a year ago, to Celadon, and then here about three months ago."

"Hm, I'm surprised. Your Japanese is actually very good, though accented heavily. Can you speak English?"

Seren blushed, "Um, yes, my parents are both from the States, but they've lived here for awhile, so they learned Japanese before they had me. So I shouldn't have trouble when we start learning English next year, but…" she grimaced as she struggled to actually say the phrase as the Americans would, "_English is a hard language to…say…when you…_" -here she gave up and switched back to Japanese- "It is a hard language when your tongue is used to rolling 'R's' and using what they call gutturals. English isn't kind to a Hebraic tongue. Many of the native Japanese can speak it better than I, but I can read it. Writing it is a bit more difficult." She demonstrated on a scrap piece of paper, and her Roman block letters were definitely more flowing than most. At least she might be able to write cursive when she learned more.

"Well, I want to thank you. My son's struggled with that subject since he started this past fall. I am glad he has such a friend to help him." His eyes drifted off to the side, "I wish I had at such an age." The last was a whisper, more to himself than to her.

"Sir?"

His eyes darted back quicker than they should have, and he chuckled, "Ah, I'm sorry. Forgive the mutterings of an old man, _cherie_. Just reminiscing to my own childhood in France and Italy."

"Both?"

"I visited relatives often." His parents had actually been separated for many years before reconciling, but there was no need for her to know that, "Have you ever been outside of Kanto? I remember you mentioned just moving back."

Seren nodded, tugging at one of her pigtails she had just fixed, "I was born here, but we moved to Isra'el until I was…five or six, I guess." Her own light voice carried a bit of her parents' accents, a mix of the American South, and her Israeli upbringing. "Ema said I have something called…dual citizenship?"

"So you can live there if you wanted to when you are older? That's nice. I have only seen the Holy Land in pictures, but it seems beautiful."

She beamed with a pride for the land she loved, "Oh, it is. You get to eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday," she said in Japanese, then accidentally went into Hebrew as a habit as she grew comfortable. After seeing his slightly confused face, she hurriedly translated. The translation she gave was not to be perfect (in fact it was rather imperfect), but "the shops are filled with spices, and you should see _Yerushalayim_ in the sunset! The white stone reflects the pink and purple and orange so beautifully!" was probably good enough for now.  
The poor child was not fluent enough in her non-native tongue to describe it better than that, but the original Hebrew gave the impression (of one familiar to the scents) of sweet and spicy tickling the nose as you shopped, the common scents filling the air and intermingling in a delicious bouquet that was in the market, the aroma of frankincense, the savory of cardamom and hyssop, the sweet of freshly squeezed mango and orange juice and of mint; fresh bread, almost paper thin and sticky to the touch, was a childhood favorite. The sunsets were too. It was hard to describe, but when she was older, she would realize that the buildings did not gleam white, they shone red gold on the horizon. She had lived outside the city, and would often stand on the roof watching the sun go down each day.

A voice yelled in Italian from upstairs. Seren saw a cream colored blur rush past the top of the stairs, with the young boy running after it. Ignoring the shouting, -and mentally reminding himself to talk with the boy about his language- Alden continued, "What is the shopping like there? I've heard it's open air?" He had beckoned her to sit in front of him on a stool at the tan marble island in the kitchen, giving her a small homemade treat while they waited for his son, who, it seemed, from the yelling, was having a time catching the cat.  
Even though she lived outside, she still went often with her mother to the bazaar, the vendors of the_ sook_ (the Arabic word for it) flaunting their wares, practically yelling, always promising to have the finest choice of food or clothes or whatever your heart desired at the lowest price. Her mother and she had quickly figured out which vendors they could trust: normally the Jewish ones, though a few Moslems did them well, not inflating the price. And of course, as is custom in the Middle East, that is always negotiable. She herself had learned from the time she was knee high to her mother how to bargain, often times buying spices for her mother when she was across the alleyway, all of ten feet away perhaps. Either way, whether the deal went through are not, most of them gave the little girl small gifts, perhaps some _pareve_ chocolate or candy, or sometimes small toys. One time, a man who headed a jewelry store, dark eyes shining and tan face smiling, had given her a few handmade wooden dolls, a little family of them with a tiny plush camel, when she had come by looking for her mother in the market. The people, whether Jew or not, loved children dearly, and they played often in the streets between buildings with small balls or dolls. It was a simple, trusting culture, where honor and shame sometimes outweighed conscience, but the children could care less of such things. Let them enjoy themselves while they are little, the adults reasoned, for soon their little boys and girls, when they reached thirteen and twelve, respectively, would Bar and Bat Mitzvah and be considered adults and accountable to Torah and the laws of their forefathers.

Because she had been young enough not to go to school, Seren was allowed to go to her neighbors' houses and inquire as to whether she could play with her friends. After the first time she asked, she quickly learned that after that she usually didn't need to ask permission, a practice that would be frowned upon later in her life. In fact, the things she had learned in Israel as a small child seemed to be shaping her massively as she grew from a tiny little girl to a schoolchild, and the culture shock of going back to Kanto was giving her fits. She didn't understand why the school children did not want to play with her, they in turn did not understand the ways of the light olive-skinned girl, her skin losing its deep tan over the few years after she came back; why did their parents frown at her when she randomly showed up at their doorstep and inquired about their children? This culture was alien, complex and untrusting of strangers. Even with the mixture of Japanese and other cultures, the locales had quickly created their own subsets of cultures and, unfortunately, Judaism was barely practiced, barely represented in these parts.

She had barely finished her tale of the marketplaces when a cream-colored cat entered the room and, seeing her in its spot, sat down in front of her, as if impatiently waiting, even willing her, to move. Seren smiled, "Aw, a Persian! Can I pet it, Mr. Rochat?"

"Be careful, he's not always friendly."

" 'Kay. Hey, Persian, Vanni told me about you…" she carefully held out her hand palm down for the cat to sniff, which it did, and started hissing and arching its back.

"Persian! Don't you hiss at her!" Seren looked up as she jerked her hand back and saw her friend standing in the archway, frowning at his feline friend, "She was just trying to pet ya." Giovanni pulled firmly on one of its whiskers and the cat immediately lowered its head, as if it actually felt guilty for its behavior. "Found out from the local professor that Persians become calm when you do that. Just seems like an easy way to get bitten, but what works, works." He was wearing some old jeans and a brown t-shirt now, "Sorry it took so long, trying to find the cat to give him something to eat. He ran off when I did find him." He stuck out his tongue, "Silly cat's finicky too."

"I warned you Persians are rather fussy when you brought him home," Alden reminded him.

"Well, he's going to be good," the boy glared at the cat, "aren't ya?" Persian seemed to sigh and nod, _mawr_ing in response. "So," He said, turning to his father, "how was that battle at the gym?"

"Battle at the gym?" Seren asked.

"Dad's the gym leader here." Giovanni said, black eyes shining with pride, "I'm going to run the gym one day, too."

"Really? That's so cool!" Seren chirped, bouncing a little in excitement, "I've never met a gym leader before! What kind of Pokémon do you use?"

Alden chuckled, "I specialize in Ground types. In fact, my Sandslash is outside with the others, roaming around the grounds. Would you like to see her?"

"Oh, yes, please, if it's not too much trouble."

"Alright then," the children swiped some of the chocolate chip biscotti fresh out of the oven as they went outside, the little girl more than a little impressed with the treats. Alden pulled his son over to him as she enthused, and whispered playfully, "Sweet little thing, though a bit excitable."

"You don't know the half of it."

"Heh, I'm sure I don't. Reminds me of you when we came here." His son shot a glare at him, "It's culture shock, son. Just like you had to learn the social niceties of this culture, so too does she. I believe it would be nice to help her overcome that."

"Trying… It's…interesting." Giovanni sighed, when he noticed that Seren was waiting, "whoops. Sorry, Essie, didn't mean to make you wait."

"It's okay, I have a cookie! _Ugiyah_!" She nibbled happily on it, and seemed much more relaxed as they walked.

"_Ugiyah_?" He asked. In response, she pointed to the biscotti. "Cookie?"

"Yep! And it has _shokolad_ too… Oops, I mean chocolate!"

Alden laughed a little, before looking around the place, "Hm, she's probably in her favorite spot," He put two fingers to his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, "Blair! Come here, girl!" Seren spotted a previously unnoticed object move near a maple tree, and giggled as it came rolling up to them. When it screeched to a halt, the spiky, brown ball opened up, revealing a tan creature that reminded Seren a little of a mouse, with two claws on each forelimb. "Seren, this is Blair, she was my first Pokémon as a Sandshrew. Blair, this is Van's new friend, so be nice to her." Blair nodded, extending a claw to the girl, who gently shook it.

Petting her, Giovanni noticed something amidst the spikes, and gently pulled it out of the crevices. He held up some leaves, and chuckled, "I think she's been digging around in the forest again. Looking for berries?" The Sandslash bobbed its head up and down again, chirping its name happily.

"The forest?" Seren asked.

"Yep, it's really neat…say, after we do some homework, you wanna go play there?"

"Sure!" Alden handed her a small ball to toss to Blair, who bounced it around on its body before passing it back. She giggled, and quickly became fascinated with the game.

Watching the girl bounce the toy back and forth, twittering some Hebrew as she did, Alden leaned towards his son, "I'm going to hazard a guess that she speaks Japanese when she's expected too, and when she's nervous… she seems to revert back to Hebrew when she's relaxed. Probably speaks it exclusively at home."

His son nodded, "This is the first time I've seen her like this. She's normally really…"

"Anxious?"

"Yeah." Giovanni chuckled, "I blame the cookies. By the way, how'd the match go?"

"Well enough, I'm going to train Blair a bit more today, though. We beat the challenger, but they'll want a rematch, I'm certain. I'll tell you more later; you have homework to do, and a visitor."

Giovanni nodded, "Hey, Ser?" The girl looked up from playing, "We need to get some homework done if we're going to play."

She sighed, rolling the ball back to Blair, "Okay… see ya later, Blair!" Blair nodded, rolling over to its trainer as the kids went inside.

"They're cute together, aren't they, girl?" Alden smiled, petting her. The mouse nodded, "Alright, that trainer's Pidgeot almost creamed us today…let's work on our techniques!"

"_Slash_!"

"Come on, Seren!" The young boy called to his friend, turning to see what was keeping her. It had taken awhile, but they had finished their homework, and they were on their way to having fun.

If she would ever catch up.

Seren emerged from the bushes, nicks and bruises covering her, "Vanni, you're going too fast…" Persian rolled its eyes at how slow the human girl was. "I'm not used to running in forests like this." She smoothed out the wrinkles in her pale green play dress, and frowned at the small dirt stains, "_Emi_'s going to be angry that I got this dress dirty." The cookies were gone, and so was the sugar rush that had caused her to become giddy earlier in the day.

Giovanni shrugged, "So you got your dress dirty. I have some clothes you might be able to wear while one of the maids washes it."

Seren stuck her tongue out at the idea, "your clothes are too big…and they're boy clothes."

He shrugged again, "So? Your mother will get onto you for wearing them?"

"It's the principal of it. I'm supposed to be careful…"

"Come on, Ser." Persian deftly leaped up with him onto a slightly rotted log that looked rather unsafe to Seren, "Live a little. Sometimes ya gotta get in a little trouble to have fun." He extended his hand to her, and she looked at the precarious log with worry, "It's safe." He hopped up and down on it to illustrate, when the wood gave way, dumping him into the insect infested inside. "Whoa!"

Seren looked over the side to peek in, and smiled a little, "Safe, huh?"

"Shut up and help me out before these bugs decide I'm snack." Giovanni grumbled, hating to be proved wrong, but especially in front of her, though he did not know why.

Seren pulled at the side of the log and barely was able to dodge the rotten wood spilling out of it from the piece that she had managed to get off, and she wrinkled her nose, "Ew, it really is rotting, if I can pull it apart."

"Ain't that the truth!"

"Shut up!" She grinned, having recently learned of his hatred of small places, "unless you'd rather stay in that tiny little spot, worms wriggling all over you…"

There was silence for a moment, and he sighed, "Okay, sorry. Geez, I was just agreeing with you. Boy, you females sure are weird." A centipede looked over at him and seemed to sit back on its hind feet, possibly trying to figure if he was a predator or a rather large meal.

"I know, jus' teasing," she giggled, trying to pry more wood off, when she started to feel a little lightheaded; she stopped and put her hand to her head, "Oh, that was weird."

"What?" He poked his head out of the hole she had managed to create, brown hair matted with wet dirt in front of his eyes, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just felt dizzy," She looked at Persian, "Hey Persian, can you scratch at this to help me get Vanni out?" Persian looked at its friend and future trainer, and when Giovanni nodded, so did it. "Okay, careful." He hurriedly pulled his head back in and shoved up against the back of the log, sneezing at all the mold in the air. The centipede scurried off. When she asked if he was ready, he yelled an affirmative, and Persian slashed at the wood. Chunks of wet wood flew out, and Seren ducked to avoiding getting hit by them, hoping that it didn't make her dress any dirtier than it was. She glanced up and smiled at the large mass missing from the log, "Can ya get out?"

"Yeah, I think so…" The young boy coughed, pulling apart his bangs so he could see, and he managed to squeeze through the hole head first, landing on the ground with a thud. "Ow." He mumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm fine," He said when she looked worriedly at him, "just landed on it wrong. You shouldn't worry so much."

"Okay…" She looked relieved, even if she was frowning a little. "So, where are we going, anyway?"

"There's an awesome natural pool in here. It's got a waterfall and water Pokémon, and everything. Did you bring your swimsuit?" She nodded, "It's really fun to cannonball in." The tilt of her head made him sigh as they walked, wondering if his friend ever did anything other than read, "I'll show you. By the way, I heard there's going to be a karate class starting at school in the spring. You and I are going to join it."

"Huh? Why me?" She noticed the sound of water crashing.

"Cause you need to learn to stand up a little for yourself. I mean, I don't really mind standing up for you…but you should learn to take care of yourself. You don't want to be scared all of the time, right?" She shook her head, "Well, maybe this'll help ya. Especially since in a couple of years we'll be getting our trainers' licenses. You can't hide from a Pokémon you wanna catch. Ya gotta be ready to battle!" She mumbled an agreement, and he smiled a little, "I don't really want to see you get hurt, you know? Your parents would beat me."

"Nice to know that's the only reason," the small 8-year-old girl smiled as they walked. A few moments later, Giovanni pushed some vines out of the way, and beamed, "Here we are! Nice, huh?" Seren had to agree. The location he had led them to was a clear pond fed from a moderately sized waterfall, with a small number of Goldeen swimming around. Persian looked at the fish with a hungry gleam in his eyes, when his trainer said, "No, Persian, I just fed you." The cat sighed, flopping down on the bank, defeated.

"Wow, the water's so clear and pretty." She looked around the grove, and spotted a tree with a trunk wide enough for her purposes, "I'm going to go change real quick."

"Wait, I thought you wore your swimsuit underneath?" He asked with a raised brow as she skittered behind the tree.

"No…well, sort of!" She squeaked, throwing her dress over a branch.

"What's that mean?"

"Not telling!"

He heard the zipper being undone on her backpack, and shrugged. Girls were so strange sometimes! He went behind another tree and quickly pulled off his own clothes so he was just wearing his red swim trunks. Emerging at roughly the same time as her, he smiled, "Hey, that looks nice on you."

"S-shut up!" She blushed as red as the outfit she was wearing, but he wasn't sure what she was getting so upset about. It was a nice, modest, crimson one-piece suit, that she had paired with a black swim skirt, and he had merely been speaking of the color combination looking nice against her olive skin. _Strange indeed! _He thought.

"Whatever. Cannonball!" He yelled, jumping into the pool with his knees pulled to his chest. Persian jumped back in alarm as the water splashed onto him, and he shook off in disgust, smelling strongly of wet cat, which was a smell only beaten by wet dog.

"Oh, I think I can do that!" She said, imitating him and hoping in as well. Persian failed to dodge her splash as well, and sighed, laying out on a rock warmed by the sun in an effort to both get away from the wet children and dry itself. Today was_ not _his day!

A few hours later, the children emerged from the pond, thoroughly wrinkled and exhausted, but laughing all the same,byzantium and obsidian eyes shining together in mirth. Flipping her head upside down to dry her black-blue hair, "Hey, you said you'll take over the Gym from your father one day, right?" Seren asked, patting it with a small pink towel.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Why?" He was behind the tree from earlier, toweling himself off as well.

"Just wondering, what type of Pokémon will you use?"

"Earth, like him, I guess. Maybe some really strong Pokémon, like fire types, if not." He put his clothes back on, and fluffed his hair dry as he came out from behind the tree, "I guess it depends on what happens on our journey." Persian looked up at him and frowned, "And I'll use Persian, of course. Can't forget my buddy!" The cat meowed, happy to not be forgotten. "You?"

"Well, I like flying types so far, but I guess that's because of that Spearow I feed all the time. Besides them, what I really find interesting are the Dragons…especially Dragonair. I've never seen a real one, but in the few pictures I've seen, they look so regal and majestic, powerful, too!"

"Yeah, they're pretty neat, I would love to catch one and raise it up to a Dragonite. By the way, you almost done? It's going to be getting dark soon."

"Yep, just sticking my wet clothes in a plastic bag…done!" She hopped out, back in her soiled green dress, "I may take you up on the offer to get my dress washed. Though I'm really not fond of the idea of wearing boys' clothes…"

As she went on, a thought popped in his head. _Wasn't there that flower patch near here? Hm… _When she had finished her short rant about boys and their tendency to get dirty quickly, he slung his pack over his shoulder, "Hey, there's something I want to go do real quick… you wanna come along?"

She shook her head, "I'm actually really tired at the moment…you can go on, though, I don't mind! Persian can keep me company, right, Pershie?" The cat threw her a glance that indicated he didn't appreciate the nickname greatly.

"Alright…you sure?" He really wanted to make sure she wasn't messing with him. He'd see his mother say things like that to his father or him, she'd really mean something else, and then he or his father would be in the doghouse with her. He didn't care to have that happen more than was necessary.

"Yep." She nodded, petting the classy cat behind the ear, and she smiled as he leaned into it.

"Okay. I'll be right back!" He said, running out of the clearing. A few minutes later, he slowed down, the forest becoming thick with brush and snares and other pitfalls. Pidgeys hopped around the branches with their parents, some more clumsy than others. In a few weeks, these babies would learn to fly from tree to tree, then in a few months, would set off on their own. He wondered if he could catch one for her later, as a present. He saw a Fearow fly overheard, and rethought it. She liked Spearows and Fearows… best be one of those. He wouldn't mind catching himself a Pidgey when he was old enough, though; Pidgeot could be fierce little fighters!

Locating the flower grove, he spotted some wild roses, deep red in color, growing by themselves in a corner, and carefully picked some. "There is a flower patch near here, and I thought you might like a flower…" He practiced to himself, and felt his cheeks heat up; he hoped she didn't think he was weird for liking the natural beauty inherent in the plants. "Maybe a few other flowers, too…daisies look nice." He bent down to pick them, and as he rose, a familiar screech echoed through the trees. "Persian?!" He yelled, taking off in a run towards the pool, "Seren! Persian!" The only answer he received was the cat's shrill cries, which grew louder as he approached, being careful not to trip more than he already was.  
He finally burst into the opening, and saw why there had been only one answer to his calls. Seren lay motionless on the ground, with Persian standing overhead, pushing her with its head and licking her in an attempt to wake her. "Ser! Persian, what happened?!" Persian looked helplessly up at him, meowing and going on as he examined her. She was breathing alright, and her pulse was strong, but she wouldn't wake, and he started to panic, "Merdamerdamerdamerdamerda! Why won't she wake up?" He growled, before forcing himself to breathe, "Okay…think this through…gotta get her back to the house, Dad'll know what to do…Persian, help me out here. She can't be heavier than you were…" Persian ignored the comment, pushing the girl up, and as Giovanni squatted, against his back. He picked her up, wincing at the fact there wasn't that much weight difference, to him, between the two of them. Persian picked her pack up in its teeth, and they started off towards the house as fast as they could. "Don't worry, Seren…I'll get you home…"

_Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…_The noise slowly grew as Seren started to come back to consciousness, becoming aware of other noises, the light beyond her eyelids, the strong smells. _Where…am…I?_ The thought came hesitantly, and she carefully opened her eyes a little, and found herself staring at a bright white drop ceiling, a fluorescent the source of the offensive light. _Am I in the hospital?  
_  
"Yeah, you're at Viridian General." A familiar voice answered as she realized she had voiced the thought as well. She turned her head to see Giovanni sitting beside the hospital bed, staring at her worriedly, something that, later in their lives, would be more common than they wished. "You collapsed while I was away, and I got you to Dad so we could bring you here. Your parents are on the way, too."

"Oh…" She bit her lip, then smiled, "T-thank you, Vanni…for rescuing me."

He started to blush a little, "You're welcome. Any idea what happ…" He was interrupted by the door opening, and a male and female entering, "Oh, hello, Mrs. Awres."

The woman smiled and nodded. She was a very pretty redhead with light blue eyes, and rather tall as well, "Oh, sweetie," she said, taking her daughter's hand in hers, "Are you alright?"

Seren smiled back, "I think so." She hugged the woman tight as she said it.

"Are you Giovanni?" Her father asked, and the boy nodded, a little intimidated. Mr. Awres was only slightly taller than his wife, but that made him about six feet tall, with dark brown, curly hair, and a matching, full beard. He wore a crisp blue shirt that had some odd blue and white tassels hanging from underneath, and ironed tan slacks. The man grinned, and held out his hand to the boy, who shook it, "Thank you very much for helping my daughter."

Giovanni rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, "It's alright. She's my friend, I couldn't exactly leave her…" He meant to go on, but was interrupted again by the door, this time the doctor walking in.

"Ah, Awres-san? Dr. Satoshi, at your service," he gave a little bow, which her father returned in kind, "I have your daughter's test results…" He didn't seem to see the boy, "Seren-chan here seems to have had a seizure. Has she had them before?"

"Yes, Sensei. She had her first when she was about five. Was it tonic-clonic?" The doctor nodded, "Yeah, that's it."

"What's wrong? What's a seizure?" Giovanni asked.

The doctor raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. You and your father brought her in, correct?" The boy nodded.

"It's alright, he's her friend, and ours as well," at the inquisitive look from the boy, he smiled, "You saved my little girl, you're now a friend of ours."

"Well, the cells in you brain turn on and off like little lights, and it tells your body what to do. Sometimes, in people with epilepsy, which is what Seren-chan has, some of the cells will all turn on at once, or not switch on and off quite right, and it will make the body do things, like shake, or cause a person to faint," Satoshi-sensei explained, pushing his glasses up, "A new medicine for children with seizures just came out that helps them not have them so often. Sometimes it works so well they don't have them anymore. We'll start her on it tomorrow, and we'll see how it goes."

"How long will she have them for?" Giovanni asked.

"Momma said sometimes it's just for a little while, but sometimes it's longer," Seren said, squeezing his hand and smiling, "Just depends on the person."

"Indeed. Could you please wait outside, little boy? I need to discuss private matters with the Awres family." The doctor inquired.

Giovanni agreed, stepping outside, and sighed after the door closed. He was glad she was alright, but he started to feel a bit anxious. What if that had happened while they were swimming? What if she had been completely alone? He shuddered. Best not to dwell too deeply on it. "How is she?" Alden asked from a nearby chair.

"She's okay, but she has something called…epilepsy?" Was that the word the doctor had used? "She had a seizure that made her pass out."

"Hm, that would most certainly explain it. In that case, if you continue to be her friend, you'll have to keep a sharp eye on her." Alden said.

Giovanni's eyes flashed briefly with anger, "I'm not going to stop being her friend just because she's got that!"

"And never did I think or say you would. I'm merely warning you that this may happen again, and you need to be prepared for it. When the doctor's finished, I will speak to him and her parents about putting together something for you to carry around, in case it happens again. I'm not entirely sure what it will entail you carrying or having access to, but…"

"Don't worry, Dad," his son sighed, looking back at the room, "I want to help her, want to protect her…"

"I know, Van." He put his hand on the young boy's shoulder, "and I'm proud of you for not running away from that." The doctor emerged from the room, scribbling something on his clipboard, "Ah, Sensei, if I could speak with you and her parents for a moment, I'd like to find out more about this so we can be prepared in the future."

"Of course."

"Satoshi-san," Giovanni began, "may I go see Essie again?"

"As long as you don't excite her, it should be fine. Rochat-san, if you will follow me, her parents will be along shortly." Alden nodded, going with the physician, and Giovanni ducked back into the room, where Seren and her parents were talking quietly.

"Hopefully the medicine will help you, sweetie, but you have to remember to take it everyday," her mother said. He had obviously walked into an ongoing conversation.

"I know, Emi. It's not like I'm that forgetful…"

"Dvorah, she's really isn't." Her father interjected.

"I know, I know…" Dvorah sighed, running fingers through her daughter's hair, which Seren leaned into; Giovanni made a mental note of that, "I just get worried for you, Aythi, that's all." _Aythi?_ Giovanni raised a brow, then quietly knocked on the door. Dvorah turned, and smiled at the boy, "Oh, hello, Giovanni."

"Hi, Mrs. Awres. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No, not really," she shook her head, "Seren, we need to speak with the doctor for a few minutes. We'll be right back."

The children nodded, and after they left, Giovanni turned back to his friend, with a mix of fear and sadness, "So, what'd he say?"

"We just were talking about the medicine, that's all. Side effects and stuff that could happen, but it doesn't sound too bad." She pulled her knees up to her chest, and chuckled quietly, "I think I can handle possibly having a headache once in awhile if it makes the seizures go away mostly, or all the way."

He laughed as well, sitting on the bed next to her, "yeah, that sounds acceptable." They sat in silence for a few moments, then, "What'd your mom mean when she said Aythi? Is it like 'daughter'?"

"No, It's part of my Hebrew name…we use it when I'm at synagogue, or when we have something special going on. Like ceremonial stuff."

"Oh…Wait, part?"

"Yep, it's Aythi Shelechet bat Gavriel." He blinked in confusion, and she giggled, "sorry, 'Aythi' means 'Season', and 'Shelechet' is 'Autumn'. 'bat Gavriel' is just 'daughter of Gavriel', my Daddy."

"Autumn Season? Cause you were born in October?"

"Sorta… I was born during one of the Festivals we have in the fall, called Sukkot. I think you might call it 'Feast of Tabernacles'."

"Ah, yeah, I've heard of it…That's pretty, Aythi."

She blushed, "Thanks, for both that, and for saving me." She started hugging onto his arm. He felt his cheeks heat up as she sighed happily. "Thank you for being my best friend, too." she said, her eyes closed as she nestled up under his chin.

"Umm…you're welcome. I…like being your best friend too." He couldn't say anything more for a moment, he was so nervous, then he finally muttered, "I want to try to protect you, Seren. I don't know how good of a job I can do, but…I don't want anything bad to happen to you, so I'm going to do my best!"

She nodded, "and I'll try not to be so vulnerable for ya. Wait, does that mean we would travel together when we go on our journey?"

"Yeah, that makes sense."

She beamed, "that's great! I can't wait! It'll be fun!" Then she stifled a yawn, "Well, maybe it can wait for a nap…" She curled up under the covers, still holding onto his hand, "If I don't wake up before you go, I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course." She closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep. He squeezed her hand gently, "I don't want anything to happen to you…so I'll become stronger, too." His father came into the room to collect him, and he put the flowers beside her from earlier.  
_I'll do my best, mi fiore selvatico._

* Lead me to the good  
drive away all the fear  
show me that it's possible to be happy  
let me feel  
as long as we are together  
that the whole world was born for us


	3. Childhood

51. Childhood

Characters: Giovanni, Seren, Mrs. And Mr. Awres

Rating: G

Notes: the First in a series about Giovanni and Seren as young trainers. In an anime style, complete with anime physics. ^^

Notes: Seren is pronounced sair-RHEN, not Serene. And "Ser" is "Sair", not 'sir'; While Iian isn't pronounced 'Ian', but 'E-Yain.' His last name is Moretti-Rochat, or just Rochat (pronounced Roe-SHAT) for short. Rocket will be an alias he uses around Team Rocket later to enforce his leadership.

Also, Giovanni hates his parents for giving him a complicated name :-P

Sadly enough, the punch line HAS happened to me.

BTW, since the story assumes that the Pokemon Nation is part of Japan, they are technically using Japanese, though it's obviously translated here :-P

Author's Notes: Here's some help for some of the Hebrew in the story:

Magen David: ("Mah-gen Da-veed" or "Moh-gen Da-veed") The Hebrew name for the Star (or 'shield') of David

Song translation at the end

_Atah chipasta ko'ach, __va'ani ahavahatah, ratzita sheketani, ratziti otchaatah hakochav shezore'ach me'albo vetar'eh li le'an_

_Tovil oti latovgaresh et kol hapachadtar'eh li she'efshar lihyot me'usharten li lehar'gishkol od anachnu yachadsheha'olam kulo bishvilanu nolad*_

It was an abnormal Wednesday morning in Viridian Academy as the young boy pushed past his classmates in the crowded hall, muttering apologies frequently as he scanned the mass for a familiar face. He was a little bit taller than the others his age, so it made it a bit easier, but he still had to stand on his toes and jump up to see much more. Finally, he spotted a familiar red-ribboned black ponytail near one of the water fountains, and called her name; when he failed to be heard over the crowd, he simply pushed his way over to where she was. "Essie," He gasped when he was allowed some breathing room, "there you are!"

'Essie' turned around and smiled a little, though her violet eyes looked uneasy. "Hey, Vanni," She moved further over into the alcove the water fountain sat in to get away from the crowd, "Sorry, I was late this morning." He noticed her breathing was uneven, and, coupling with that look in her eyes, he stood between her and the mob of students. "Too many people…" She muttered.

"Far too many," he agreed, "Are you alright?" 'Vanni' had a dislike of crowds as well, but not to the same extent as she.

She looked away, "If you call about to have a panic attack alright, then sure."

"It's just a test, Ser…" He replied.

"No, not just a test. It's the TRAINER'S test. If I don't pass this, I have to wait to go on my journey until I pass it, and the next testing opportunity is two months away! Oooooo…" Seren took a deep breath and sighed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, before going on, "What happens if I don't pass? We just spent all day yesterday in class," her speech was quickening and running together now in her panic, "and you waited past your birthday to go with me, and I can't go by myself because of…"

Giovanni rolled his eyes, put a hand on her shoulder, "I know, but chill out, you know this stuff backwards and forwards."

"But…"

"We'll pass. Calm down, you'll trigger an attack if you're not careful. Breathe." While she concentrated on not hyperventilating, he looked behind him to see the throng of students thinning as they went to their rooms, "Crowd's dispersing a little, and the test starts soon, so we need to go to the room. Come on, kid." He pulled her out of the alcove.

"Kid?!" She yelped, "I'm two months younger than you!"

"Whatever you say, shorty," he stuck out his tongue in response, and, after her squeak of 'Shorty?!', replied, "Remember, you have to do better than everyone else so it's just a competition between you and I."

"Like that makes me feel better," she mumbled as he pushed her into the test room just as the bell rang.

"_Alright. What level does Pidgey evolve?" The boy asked his friend._

_The girl thought for a moment, nibbling a cookie, before replying, "…Level eighteen into Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot at level Thirty-six." He nodded, and she posed a question of her own, " This should be easy. Sandshrew evolves into Sandslash at what level?"_

"_Pfft. Twenty-two, I could have answered that in my sleep. Dad's starter was a Sandshrew, and that Sandslash is his best Pokemon. Let's move on. Flying is weak and strong against what types?"_

"…_Strong versus Bug, Grass, Ground, and…" she went to bite her finger nail before he stopped her, "Fighting. Weak against Electricity, Rock, and Ice."_

"_See, I told you, you know the stuff, just need to calm yourself." He smiled, "Dad, can you teach her like you taught me?"_

_Alden chuckled from where he was cleaning the dishes and watching them at the table, "Of course. Alright, Seren, two ways to do it. First, give me your hands…there, now squeeze as hard as you can…hold that for a few seconds…relax. You can do that on your chair or desk. Second, close your eyes, and breathe…_

_Breathe…_

_Breathe…she remembered the words as she stared at the test the next day, written in a foreign language, but she knew the language enough to answer the questions…_

_At least, she hoped she did._

Two grueling hours later, the entirety of the students taking the test were assembled in the hallway, waiting for the professors to post the scores, and as soon as they did, all efforts to control the students vanished as they crowded around the boards, looking for their names on them. A few minutes later, Giovanni finally pushed his way to the 'R' section, and finally spotted his name, and the grade beside it. "Yes! Pass!" He grinned as Seren made her way over to him, "I got a 100! What'd you get?" He frowned when he saw her confused look, "What?"

She looked up at the 'S' section next to him, and frowned, "I can't find my name anywhere…I wanted to make sure I didn't mistakenly put 'Seren' as my family name…nothing under 'A'…"

"I'd ask why you'd think you might have put your given name under family name, but…"

"You know Japanese isn't my first language, and neither is English, so having the English translation for the kids from America doesn't help me one bit. Ooooo…" She sighed, "Maybe one of the teachers knows something." She ran off to the professor in charge of posting the grades, and Giovanni could tell from her expression it wasn't a answer she wanted. She came back, and it was obvious she was trying to keep herself calm. "They aren't sure where it is…"

He raised a brow; he had never heard of this happening before. "Eh?!"

Giovanni sat outside the room where his friend was speaking with the teachers in charge of the test, and sighed. How did things like this always happen to her? For the last three years, it seemed this girl had the worst luck, not to mention she was clumsy. He could understand why she had trouble with other children, that was culture shock. True, she had been born in Viridian, but living her formative years in Israel seemed to have shaped her differently. (He could sympathize with her there, since he was Italian, and he much preferred the Tuscan countryside to Japan. Ah, well, it was nice enough here.) She tried to fit in, though, and her spoken Japanese was passable, and he had noticed when she was nervous she could do it very well…when relaxing, though…

The door opened, and he looked up to see a blushing Seren coming out. "Well?"

"…You promise you won't laugh?" She asked.

_Uh oh, what'd she do now?_ "I promise…"

"Well, they need to give me an Oral version of the test."

"Why?" He hadn't heard of this before, either.

"Um…you know what your dad told me last night? The whole breathing thing? And you know how I sometimes slip into Hebrew when I relax?"

He could see where this was going. "You didn't."

"Yes…yes I did…" She poked her index fingers together as the red in her face deepened.

For a moment, he struggled to find the words, and then he yelped, "_You answered the entire test in Hebrew!?_"

*You looked for strengthand I for loveyou wanted silenceI wanted youYou are the star that shines abovecome and show me where toLead me to the gooddrive away all the fearshow me that it's possible to be happylet me feelas long as we are togetherthat the whole world was born for us


	4. Bare

18. Bare

Characters: Giovanni, Seren, Madame Boss

Pov: Seren

Rating: PG-13

Notes: How far would you go for a loved one?

Inspired by Wordsnatcher's fic. You are awesome!

Italics in the first part is Madame Boss

First part is when they're about 30, so 13 years before current stories.

Neshama: Hebrew word that means "soul", "My soul", used when referring to the idea that a person and their mate are one soul.

Ken: "yes" in Hebrew

Ahuvi: "My love", same language

With extreme calmness, I want to keep existing within the hell of violent black anger.  
While forming a miracle in the frozen hellfire, let me adorn thine neck with a necklace made of steel.

Oh, 'great gift of god' (Ha!),  
Kneel down before me, I am controlling thee,  
And I will tie thee to my white feet with hardened chains of steel.

Bow down to the earth, kneel before me.  
Listen to my divine words,  
"Deep inside the black abyss, the darkness burns its flame of sinful destruction."  
The bottom of hell reflects thee,  
Devote thy demonic name, thy true name to me.

Because thou belong to me,  
Because I know thine demonic name, thy true name.

"The wound carved unto thine body will leave a scar that never disappears."  
Even if thou struggle, it would be useless, now is too late.  
"The shackles of binding, the chains of thorns."  
Thou art the prisoner of mine.

Entangled in those arms

"Turn unto a song,"  
Thy pale fingertip  
I shall become the hardened chains of steel that bind thee  
I shall become the thorny tendrils that torment thee  
I shall become the silver sword that cuts on thine body  
I shall become everything...

"I can't do it." My husband says, looking down at the floor, head in hands, as we sit in the waiting room in the courthouse.

The lawyer balks, "But Mr. Rochat, if you don't testify, your mother..."

I glare at him, and he stops, "Don't you EVER call her that again. It's Ms. Moretti from now on, are we clear?"

"Y-Yes, crystal clear, Mrs. Rochat," he gulps, "If you don't testify, sir, it is very possible that your...Ms. Moretti will get off on a lesser charge."

"Don't you think I know that!?" Giovanni snaps, jet eyes flashing, crushing the empty glass in his hand into nothing more than shards.

"Perhaps he could write it, and I could speak on his behalf?" I offer, massaging my husband's shoulders until he stops clenching all of the muscles, dropping the broken crystals into a nearby trashcan, the slivers _plink-plink_ing at the bottom.

"Unfortunately, since the defense will want to cross-examine..."

"Then let me stand beside him."

The lawyer sighs, "Sorry...if he had mental trouble..."

I reach across the table and grab him by the shirt, "She sexually assaulted him! I happen to know very painfully how mentally jarring being raped is, and one of the times was by her; would you like me to describe it in detail?!" He squeaks out a negative, and I let him go, "thought so."

He hurriedly fixed his tie, "Um, I'll have to ask the judge... Could you grant me a moment?" I nod, and he walks off.

There's silence for a moment, then I hear a quiet "Did she really attack you?" from my husband.

"Yeah, when I was recovering from being raped during the war, as well. Remember when I had to go on missions for her?" -Nod- "it was during one of those. That's one of the reasons it took longer than I wanted for recovering mentally."

He grips my hand in his, "Why did you never..."

"Because she threatened you and our daughter, simple as that." I laugh bitterly, and he stares at me, "You know, if this trial didn't come up, I probably would have taken her out myself."

He raises an brow, "You seriously would have assassinated her?"

I shrug, "That was my idea, and Robin and Miyamoto and most of the executives were agreeing with it, saying she was leading the Team into ruin. Unfortunately, Miya and Robin were sent on a suicide mission to find that damned Mew." I brush my black hair out of my eyes, "Would you have agreed to it, had I told you before?"

He's quiet for a second, "I'm not sure. Up until she actually...well, you know, I think part of me hoped it was all a ruse or something created by her getting sick all those years ago."

"I'm not sure the 'stroke' wasn't a ruse."

"True..." he sighs, "Up until now, I didn't think she could hurt me like this. It's not like I consciously trusted her anymore."

"She birthed you...it sort of comes ingrained in the DNA to trust the one who gives us life, even someone as terrible as her."

He chuckles humourlessly, "Heh, you know, I faced the strongest people in the war, been on dangerous missions with you, been hit by bomb shrapnel.... I've waltzed with death many times, and it still doesn't scare me half as bad as the woman in that room does."

The lawyer comes back in, "Well?" I ask.

"Unfortunately, he cannot allow it..."

"_Benzona_..." I curse under my breath, "Who's the judge?"

"Sasaki. Why?"

I smile innocently, "Oh, no reason, just curious. Could you leave us for a moment?"

"Of course, but please do not take much longer, the trial will start soon."

He leaves, and I grin at my husband, "Well, there may be a silver lining here, at least."

Giovanni sits back, closing his eyes, "What's that, _Ahuvi_?"

"This judge is new, got elected after she was arrested."

"In other words?"

I push my glasses back up, "She probably hasn't had sufficient time to influence him, like the other judges. He also hasn't had enough time to become corrupted by the power, like the others."

For the first time since the incident, his eyes start to show a faint sign of hope, "So if she hasn't had a chance to influence him... we stand a chance of her not going free."

"Yes, hopefully...here," I remove my necklace, a Italian crafted Star of David he got me many years ago, when we were on our honeymoon, a first way of merging our cultures and hearts, something we've done often over the years, "Take this. May it bring you the same strength it has given me."

He smiles and puts it in his pocket, "thanks, Sery. I don't think you have any idea what your support means to me."

"I'm sure I have a clue," I chuckle, when the lawyer sticks his head back in, "what is it?"

"We need to start the trial now, or we have to reschedule..."

"Might as well get this over with, _Neshama_," He speaks the last word quietly, but with all the love and support it brings with it, the idea of our souls being one and the same.

I nod, and kiss him on the lips, "let's finish this."

The trial begins, and when it comes time for him to testify, he squeezes my hand again before slowly taking the stand. He gets through it with less difficulty than we expected, occasionally stopping to keep himself calm. But even with our testimony, it seems she might have had just enough time to skew the judge, because instead of the fullest extent of the law, she gets her insanity plea not only recognized, but accepted. Damn her, and damn the stupid judge!

After the trial, I convince them to allow me a word with her, though it's in front of a bunch of guards. And in front of them, she laughs at me, "Well, I certainly hope you won't be taking a job as an attorney anytime soon. You're as pathetic of a girl as you always have been, Seren, too scared to get the job done." So she did now about the assassination plan. Hmph, no matter.

So in front of them, I growl in her ear, "Then let this pathetic girl tell you something. If I ever see your face outside of that asylum, I will blow it off, personally."

She guffaws as they lead her away, "Forget it, you wouldn't put your family in risk of not having you to do something that ballsy!" And the police car drives off with her in tow.

"We'll see about that...note to self: figure out how to obtain immunity..." I mutter as I go to tend to my poor husband.

A few months later, and I notice that my Vanni's recovery isn't going as smoothly as it could be. Now I can say from experience that it is rather rough to recuperate after such a traumatic event, but one day, I notice something disturbing.

I look like her.

The same black hair, the same style of suits...I become sick just thinking about it. Perhaps this is why the recovery is slow... So, to rid myself of her image, I change my look just enough to destroy the resemblance, even dyeing and cutting my hair from my lower back, all the way up to my shoulders; my hair is now deep mahogany, my suits are changed to shorter cuts that flatter my figure more, and I buy a pair of boots. She never wore boots, even in the winter.

When I go to show him, I see him sitting on the couch playing with our children quietly. It is bittersweet to see, since I know they will never get to play with the twins I lost after he was attacked, but I am glad I have these beautiful children.

I come up to him, he looks me up and down, and frowns, "Your hair and clothes... what'd you do you to them?"

I give him a little smile, "I, I didn't want my appearance to make things harder for your recovery...so I changed how I look."

"Your appearance?" He looks rather confused. He gently shoos the kids out as he figures this will need to be a private conversation, but not before our oldest kisses him on the cheek, "What was that for, Rosy?" He asks.

Our little 9-year-old, Rosa-Bree, smiles sweetly, "For you to get better," -At the raised brow, she goes on- "Mommy said your heart's in pain, so I kissed you to make it better."

As she runs out, he keeps his confused look, "My 'heart's in pain'?"

I grimace, "She must have overheard me say your 'soul is crying out' to _Avi_..." My father triples as not only my father, but as our Rabbi and counselor, during this time and others.

He gently pulls my hand so I sit beside him, "So...why the sudden change in appearance?"

I explain, "well, I know I look like...her... a bit, so I changed how I look so...so you won't be reminded of her."

He frowns, "Seren, what are you talking about? You don't look like her at all," At my own confused look, he continues, "Yes, you both have wavy blue-black hair; yes, you're both tall, and yes, you're both beautiful, you devastatingly so. You don't look alike at all to me, though. I know some others have commented on a resemblance, but to me, there is no comparison," he smiles, and I can see all the sadness reflected in it, "It would be like comparing light and darkness, my love. I see so much love and life and light in you...her, not so much."

He stops for a moment before continuing, "I suppose one way to put it would be this: When either of you enter a room, everyone stops and stares. With you...you light up the room, and you are resplendent. There is a sense of welcome there, and everyone feels comfortable. When she enters the room...this feeling of dread and danger fills the place, the air becomes thick with tension -god, does that bring back countless memories. And she is beautiful, oh yes, there is no question about it...but there is always such a deadly feeling to her, like she would think nothing of stabbing you in the back and whistle as she was walking away." He chuckles, but there is little humour to it. Oh, how I miss his carefree laughter! "At least with you, the worst air I get is mischief, like you're going to grab me from behind, tell me something risqué you want to do with me, and then drag me off to do it...But I'm getting ahead of myself. The point is, my dear," he takes my hand in his, "You look nothing like her, so don't feel like you are slowing my recovery by simply being the woman I have come to love so much. I know most of the time I am around things that remind me of her, and I get agitated quickly and lose my patience..."

"Hence the bad mood when you think about heading Team Rocket?"

He struggles with a flash of anger, before continuing carefully, "Exactly. I would refuse, but...It is what I was raised to do, and...I want to prove her wrong. She always said, even as we were children, I would be weak, that I wouldn't be able to raise a family or run the company, hers or my father's...I want to prove her wrong so badly, Seren. I want that power, that feeling of showing her from a distance that I am so much better than she believed me to be. So much stronger than anyone ever believed." He kisses me, "and that's where I must thank you. You and my father are the only ones who ever saw me as anyone else besides my mother's son. Everyone else saw me as always in her shadow, nothing more. You just saw me as a friend, and that's all I've ever wanted..."

"Well, you've always believed in me, too. So, thank you, my love." I say, kissing him back gently.

We sit in silence for a moment, petting our Persians, letting it all sink in, when he speaks again, "Seren?"

"_Ken_?"

"Thank you as well... for being my stronghold, my shelter when I feel so vulnerable...so bare."

The words echo in my head as we sit in a room, the only other person a bodyguard. A year later, and my hair is its regular color and has grown back to its normal length past the small of my back; I'm wearing my -and his- favorite suit, an viridian outfit showing a bit of decolletage for him, the rest hidden away with a black lace camisole underneath; the skirt's a bit shorter than I normally wear, I have a pair of tooled brown leather thigh boots on, and a hidden dagger in a thigh sheath underneath my skirt. I look nothing like her, and for that, I am rather glad. I can't help but fiddle with my wedding ring,- one that matches his, a deep green stone in a gold setting-, though, as my nerves grow.

The guard speaks, and we rise from our seats and face the curtain, but stop before going through. I can hear the crowd outside, can feel the air of anticipation through the blood red velour -they were some cheap cotton before we redid the place, just to get rid of everything about her. A shard of light comes through an opening, resting on his new suit. Gone is the black he would wear all the time while he worked for her, gone is the long hair I would play with and she would scorn; now, he wears an Italian orange business suit, immaculate and crisp, with an evergreen vest, crimson tie, and crème formal shirt underneath, paired with tooled black leather shoes; his hair is cropped close, but with a good bit of layer to it, enough for me to mess with.

He peeks outside, ebony eyes squinting in the difference of the light, and frowns, "Well, the crowd's not going to get any smaller, I suppose. I believe we should go out before I lose my nerve." Even with the 'nerve', he's squeezing my hand tight, and I clinch tighter. He starts to step forward, but then wraps an arm around me and kisses me. After a moment, he breaks away, and I ask what it was for. He replies, his voice deepening, becoming rich, dark and succulent, smooth, but with a hint of his spice for me, like a fine wine being poured out for me to drink it all in, "That's for helping me to become stronger this past year...no, not just this year...our entire time as friends, and more. Now," here he switches back to his normal voice, full of command and strength of body and will, "let us become stronger."

We walk through the curtains, and are met with the sight of a legion of Rockets from all ranks, and they all silence when they see us come to a stop before the balcony railing, the railing that hides our intertwined fingers.

I squeeze his hand once in the still quiet, and he begins:

"When the Founder created this organization, she strived for only monetary gain as her goal, and while money can be a end of itself, I believe that it will be better for this organization, this Team Rocket, to use it for a much better end: Power. The power to rule over the people of this region, the entire corrupt Pokémon Nation, and then, soon, power over the entire world. I know that there are many of you who thought the Founder was weak, and that she has left the organization in a ruin of its past glory a decade prior. I trust that you will never find me lacking in strength for the duration of my reign as you did hers. As for this corrupt government that rules over us, in time, as we grow in power we shall take over it. It will start slowly- a town here, a city there-, but in time we will grow strong enough to overthrow even the highest government itself, and our Pokémon powerful enough to depose even the Indigo Plateau!" There is a wave of unrest across the crowds. _'Could the Team really become that powerful?' 'Even if we don't, it's more than Madame Boss ever aspired to!'_

He raises a hand, and the people silence, "My name is Giovanni, your new leader..." I hear a quiet sound behind us, and, in one fluid motion, turn, block the bodyguard/assassin's dagger with my own, get below his defense and stick the rose-hilted blade into his throat. He gurgles as the blood spurts out, blending with the red enamel rose on the pommel, and collapses to the chill white marble. I turn back, wiping the blood from my face before doing so, and for a moment my husband stares at me, before giving me a private smile and turning back to the surprised crowd below, "...and this is your new Second-in-Command, Seren: 'Madame Rocket', if you prefer." -here I nod- "Grant us your allegiance, and I swear that this organization will rise from the ashes the Founder left them in, and from the darkness before the dawn, we will create a White Tomorrow!" The crowd bursts into deafening applause, and we walk back into the room to start our first objective of figuring out who ordered the failed assassination, but not before collapsing into each other's arms, happily exhausted, as we realize we are finally on our way to being free of her.

_Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam:_

I will find a way, or I will make one.


End file.
